Front-loading washing machine

ABSTRACT

Provided is a front-loading washing machine including a cabinet having a front panel, in which the front panel is provided with an opening; a tub having an access port for loading and unloading laundry, in which the tub is disposed in the cabinet and configured in such a manner that the access port is capable of being moved up and down in the opening; a rotatable drum, disposed in the tub; a door unit, mounted to the tub, and configured to cover the access port; and a driving mechanism configured to drive the tub to rotate, in which the driving mechanism is provided in the cabinet and coupled to the tub. The front-loading washing machine according to embodiments of the present disclosure has advantages of user-friendliness, little abrasion clothes and water conservation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and benefits of Chinese PatentApplication Serial No. 201610059066.7 filed with the State IntellectualProperty Office of P. R. China on Jan. 28, 2016 and Chinese PatentApplication Serial No. 201620086082.0 filed with the State IntellectualProperty Office of P. R. China on Jan. 28, 2016, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a technical field of householdappliances, and more particularly to a front-loading washing machine.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, a washing machine includes a front-loading washingmachine and a pulsator type washing machine. When a pulsator typewashing machine is used for washing clothes, the clothes need to befully soaked in water, so the pulsator type washing machine is poor inwater conservation. A user has to stoop and crouch for putting theclothes in or fetching them out when using the front-loading washingmachine, so the front-loading washing machine is very inconvenient touse, particularly difficult for elderly people and other specialpopulations to operate.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure seeks to solve at least one of the problemsexisting in the related art to at least some extent. Therefore, thepresent disclosure provides a front-loading washing machine which hasadvantages of user-friendliness, little clothes abrasion and waterconservation.

The front-loading washing machine according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure includes a cabinet, having a front panel with anopening formed therein; a tub is disposed in the cabinet and configuredin such a manner that the access port is capable of being moved up anddown in the opening; a rotatable drum, disposed in the tub; a door unit,mounted to the tub, and configured to cover the access port; and adriving mechanism configured to drive the tub to rotate, in which thedriving mechanism is provided in the cabinet and coupled to the tub.

The front-loading washing machine according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure has advantages of user-friendliness, little clothesabrasion and water conservation.

In addition, the front-loading washing machine according to theembodiments of the present disclosure may further have followingadditional technical features.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drivingmechanism drives the access port to move up and down between anon-washing-state position and a washing-state position in the opening.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the accessport is located at the non-washing-state position, the access port isdriven to move to approach an upper edge of the front panel; and whenthe access port is located at the washing-state position, the accessport is driven to move to approach a lower edge of the front panel.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drivingmechanism is configured to drive the access port to move upwards toapproach the upper edge of the front panel and move downwards toapproach the lower edge of the front panel.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the accessport is located at the non-washing-state position, an included anglebetween a central axis of the access port and a horizontal plane is 45degrees to 90 degrees; and when the access port is located at thewashing-state position, the included angle between the central axis ofthe access port and the horizontal plane is 0 degree to 15 degrees.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drivingmechanism includes a longitudinal pushrod disposed at a front side ofthe tub, a transverse shaft disposed at a rear side of the tub andcoupled with the tub, and a support frame disposed to the cabinet andhaving a hole, in which the transverse shaft rotates in the hole of thesupport frame.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, thefront-loading washing machine further includes a controllercommunicating with the driving mechanism, when the front-loading washingmachine starts operating, the controller controls the driving mechanismto drive the access port to move downwards; and when the front-loadingwashing machine stops operating, the controller controls the drivingmechanism to drive the access port to move upwards.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the controllercontrols the driving mechanism to drive the access port to move upwardsor downwards by controlling positive and negative of a direct currentinput to the driving mechanism.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the controllerincludes a first relay and a second relay, the first relay controlsconduction and turn-off of the direct current input to the drivingmechanism, and the second relay controls the positive and negative ofthe direct current input to the driving mechanism.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the firstrelay is closed and the second relay is disconnected, the drivingmechanism drives the access port to move upwards; and when the firstrelay is closed and the second relay is closed, the driving mechanismdrives the access port to move downwards.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, maximum one-waytime for the driving mechanism to drive the access port to move upwardsor downwards is a pre-determined adjustable time.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, after thefront-loading washing machine is powered and before operating, the firstrelay is closed for the pre-determined adjustable time and the secondrelay is disconnected; when the front-loading washing machine startsoperating, the second relay is closed before the first relay, and thefirst relay and the second relay are closed for the pre-determinedadjustable time simultaneously; and when the front-loading washingmachine stops operating, the first relay is closed for thepre-determined adjustable time and the second relay is disconnected.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will begiven in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in partfrom the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of thepresent disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a front-loading washing machine accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an access port islocated at a washing-state position;

FIG. 2 is a partially schematic view of the front-loading washingmachine according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, in whichthe access port is located at the washing-state position;

FIG. 3 is a partially schematic view of the front-loading washingmachine according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, in whichthe access port is located at a non-washing-state position;

FIG. 4 is a control flow chart of the front-loading washing machineaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   front-loading washing machine 1:    -   cabinet 100; front panel 110; opening 111; tub 200; door unit        300; driving mechanism 400; longitudinal pushrod 410; transverse        shaft 420; support frame 430; hole 431;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings. Theembodiments described herein with reference to drawings are explanatory,and used to generally understand the present disclosure, and shall notbe construed to limit the present disclosure.

In the following, a front-loading washing machine 1 according toembodiments of the present disclosure will be described with referenceto the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the front-loading washing machine 1according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include acabinet 100, a tub 200, a rotatable drum (not shown in the figures), adoor unit 300 and a driving mechanism 400.

The cabinet 100 has a front panel 110 (a front-and-rear direction asindicated by arrow B in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3), and the front panel 110 hasan opening 111 formed therein. The tub 200 has the access port, and tub200 is disposed in the cabinet 100 and configured in such a manner thatthe access port is capable of being moved up and down (an up-and-downdirection as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) in the opening111. The drum is disposed in the tub 200. The door unit 300 is mountedto the tub 200 and covers the access port. The driving mechanism 400 isused for driving the tub 200 to move, and the driving mechanism 400 isconfigured in the cabinet 100 and coupled with the tub 200.

In the front-loading washing machine 1 according to the embodiments ofthe present disclosure, by means of that the tub 200 is configured insuch a manner that the access port is capable of being moved up and downin the opening 111, compared with a front-loading washing machine havingan access port fixedly disposed in a front surface in the related art,the front-loading washing machine 1 can make the access port move to asuitable position for a user to put clothes in or take clothes out whenthe user is putting clothes in or taking clothes out. For example, theaccess port can be made to move upwards. In such a way, the user doesnot need to stoop or crouch when putting clothes in or taking clothesout, which not only is convenient for the user to put clothes in or takeclothes out through the access port, but also makes people who cannotstoop easily, for example, the elderly put clothes in or take clothesout smoothly, thus improving convenience of the washing machine.

Furthermore, as the access port may move up and down in the opening 111,the access port can be moved to a position suitable for washing clothesafter the clothes are put in. For example, the access port can be madeto move downwards. In the process of washing the clothes, the drum canroll to drive the clothes to be beaten up and down so as to be washed,which not only reduces abrasion of the clothes, but also no longer needsto fully soak the clothes in water—instead, only needs a small amount ofwater for washing, thus reducing water consumption and facilitatingenvironment protection.

In addition, the driving mechanism 400 is provided to drive the tub 200.The user can operate the driving mechanism 400 to drive the tub 200 whenthe user needs to adjust the position of the access port. Thus, the usercan adjust the position of the tub 200 more effortlessly, 1) so as tofacilitate adjustment of the position of the access port, furtherimproving the convenience when users like the elderly use the washingmachine 1, and 2) so that it is convenient for the user to adjust theposition of the tub 200, and further for the user (such as the aged) touse the front-loading washing machine 1.

That is, in the washing machine 1, the tub 200 is configured in such amanner that the access port is capable of being moved up and down in theopening 111, and the driving mechanism 400 is provided to drive the tub200 to move. In such a way, the washing machine 1 can not only achieve awashing effect as a common front-loading washing machine when washingclothes, but also adjust the access port to a suitable position forputting clothes in, taking clothes out, or adding clothes halfway, whichovercomes the problem that clothes cannot be conveniently put into ortaken out from the front-loading washing machine in the related art, sothe washing machine 1 is easy for the user to use and convenient tomount.

Accordingly, the front-loading washing machine 1 according to theembodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages ofuser-friendliness, little clothes abrasion and water conservation.

In the following, the front-loading washing machine 1 according tospecific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the drawings.

In some specific embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG.1 to FIG. 3, the front-loading washing machine 1 according to theembodiments of the present disclosure includes the cabinet 100, the tub200, the rotatable drum, the door unit 300 and the driving mechanism400.

The driving mechanism 400 drives the access port to move up and downbetween a non-washing-state position and a washing-state position in theopening 111. Thus, the driving mechanism 400 can be used to drive thetub 200 to make the access port move to the washing-state position so asto wash clothes, when the clothes need washing; and the drivingmechanism 400 can be used to drive the tub 200 to make the access portmove to the non-washing-state position convenient for the user to putclothes in or take clothes out, when the clothes do not need washing.

In some preferable embodiments of the present disclosure, thefront-loading washing machine 1 may further include a controllercommunicating with the driving mechanism 400. When the front-loadingwashing machine starts operating, the controller controls the drivingmechanism 400 to drive the access port to move downwards; and when thefront-loading washing machine stops operating, the controller controlsthe driving mechanism 400 to drive the access port to move upwards.Thus, the driving mechanism 400 can achieve an automatic control overthe access port under the control of the controller without any manualoperation, which is convenient to control and operate and has a higherautomatic degree, easier to use and more effortless to operate.

Optionally, the controller may control the driving mechanism to drivethe access port to move upwards or downwards by controlling positive andnegative of a direct current input to the driving mechanism 400. Thatis, operating states of the driving mechanism are different whenpositive and negative direct currents are input to the drivingmechanism, so the states of driving the access port to move aredifferent, thus realizing an upward movement or a downward movement ofthe access port. For example, in a specific example of the presentdisclosure, when the direct current input to the driving mechanism 400is positive, the driving mechanism 400 can rotate forward and drive theaccess port to move upwards; when the direct current input to thedriving mechanism 400 is negative, the driving mechanism 400 thenrotates reversely and drives the access port to move downwards. Thecontroller has a good controlling performance and is convenient toapply.

According to some specific embodiments of the present disclosure, thecontroller may include a first relay and a second relay. The first relaycontrols conduction and turn-off of the direct current input to thedriving mechanism 400, and the second relay controls the positive andnegative of the direct current input to the driving mechanism 400. Thatis, the first relay may control whether the direct current is switchedon in the driving mechanism 400, and the second relay may change thepositive and negative condition of the direct current, which can achievea control over the direct current input to the driving mechanism 400conveniently and has a good control performance, and the product is easyto manufacture.

In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, when the first relayis closed and the second relay is disconnected, the driving mechanism400 may drive the access port to move upwards; and when the first relayis closed and the second relay is closed, the driving mechanism 400 maydrive the access port to move downwards. That is, when the first relayis closed, the direct current may be turned on in the driving mechanism400, and at that moment the second relay is disconnected, so thepositive and negative condition of the direct current input to thedriving mechanism 400 will not be changed, and the access port may moveupwards driven by the driving mechanism 400; when the second relay isclosed, the positive and negative condition of the direct current inputto the driving mechanism 400 will be changed, so that the access port isdriven to move downwards.

Accordingly, by disposing two relays, a power-supply device forsupplying power to the driving mechanism 400 can output one kind ofdirect current, without having to configure two kinds of direct current,which has a relatively low demand for the components and is low in costand convenient to manufacture.

Optionally, maximum one-way time for the driving mechanism 400 to drivethe access port to move upwards or downwards is a pre-determinedadjustable time. That is, the time for the driving mechanism 400 todrive the access port to move from the non-washing-state position to thewashing-state position is a pre-determined adjustable time T, and thetime for the driving mechanism 400 to drive the access port to move fromthe washing-state position to the non-washing-state position is also thepre-determined adjustable time T. Thus, the operation is moreconvenient, and the times of upward movement and downward movement aresame, which is advantageous for the access port to move in place andguarantees the normal operation of the washing machine. Thepre-determined adjustable time T may be set flexibly according tospecific conditions, and optionally, the pre-determined adjustable timeT may be 3 seconds to 20 seconds. For example, the pre-determinedadjustable time T may be 5 s, 10 s or 15 s. Thus, the movement time ofthe access port is suitable and the user may wait for a short time, theoperation is convenient, and the washing machine has a good performance.

Furthermore, after the front-loading washing machine is powered andbefore it operates, the first relay is closed for the pre-determinedadjustable time T and the second relay is disconnected; when thefront-loading washing machine starts operating, the second relay isclosed before the first relay, and the first relay and the second relaymay be closed for the pre-determined adjustable time T simultaneously;and when the front-loading washing machine stops operating, the firstrelay is closed for the pre-determined adjustable time and the secondrelay is disconnected.

That is, when the front-loading washing machine is powered and before itstarts to operate, i.e. when the front-loading washing machine is in apowered standby state, both the first relay and the second relay are ina disconnection state; at this moment, the first relay can be closed onthe condition that the second relay keeps disconnected, and when thefirst relay is closed for the pre-determined adjustable time T, theaccess port can move to the non-washing-state position and the clothescan be put in through the access port conveniently; after the clothes isput in, a start button is pressed and a door lock is closed to lock thedoor unit 300, such that the front-loading washing machine starts tooperate, and now the second relay may be closed; after the second relayis closed for a period of time, the first relay is closed, and then thefirst relay and the second relay keep closed for the pre-determinedadjustable time T simultaneously, in which case the access port can moveto the washing-state position and the front-loading washing machine canstart to implement the washing operation; when the washing procedure isfinished, the first relay is closed on the condition that the secondrelay keeps disconnected, and when the first relay is closed for thepre-determined adjustable time T, the access port can move upwards tothe non-washing-state position; and after the door is unlocked, the doorunit 300 can be opened and the clothes washed can be taken outconveniently.

Accordingly, the access port can move smoothly and reliably, andespecially when the access port moves downwards, the second relay isclosed before the first relay, which can prevent the access port frombeing driven to move upwards caused by a late direction change of thedirect current when it should move downwards, results in a reliablecontrol and operation, and improve the security of using thefront-loading washing machine.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, when the access port is located at thenon-washing-state position (as shown in FIG. 3), the access port maymove to approach an upper edge of the front panel 110. When the accessport is located at the washing-state position (as shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2), the access port may move to approach a lower edge of the frontpanel 110. Hence, when the user needs to put in or take out the clothes,the access port can be moved to approach the upper edge of the frontpanel 110 to make it convenient for the user to put the clothes in ortake them out from above; and when the user needs to wash the clothes,the access port can be moved to approach the lower edge of the frontpanel 110 to facilitate washing the clothes through rolling of the drum.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 110 can incline backwards from thebottom up, so as to further make it convenient for the user to put theclothes in or take them out when the access port moves to thenon-washing-state position.

Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the driving mechanism 400is configured to drive the access port to move upwards to approach theupper edge of the front panel 110 and move downwards to approach thelower edge of the front panel 110. When the user needs to put theclothes in or take them out, the user can operate the driving mechanism400 to make the access port move upwards to approach the upper edge ofthe front panel 110, so as to adjust the position of the access portconveniently; and when the user needs to wash the clothes, the user canoperate the driving mechanism 400 to make the access port move downwardsto approach the lower edge of the front panel 110, so as to facilitatewashing the clothes through rolling of the drum.

Optionally, the access port has a range of motion in the opening 111configured in such a way that an included angle between a central axisof the access port and a horizontal plane is 0 degree to 90 degrees. Inother words, the access port can move between a first position where thecentral axis thereof lies horizontally and a second position where thecentral axis thereof stands vertically. Specifically, when the accessport is located at the non-washing-state position suitable for puttingthe clothes in or taking them out, the central axis of the access portcan be oriented along a vertical direction; and when the access port islocated at the washing-state position suitable for washing the clothes,the central axis of the access port can be oriented along a horizontaldirection. Thus, it is not only convenient for the user to put in ortake out the clothes from above, but also convenient to wash the clothesthrough rolling of the drum.

Those skilled in the related art should understand that the motion rangeof the access port can be adjusted according to actual needs. Forexample, when the access port is located at the non-washing-stateposition (as shown in FIG. 3), the central axis of the access port canincline forwards from the bottom up, which can also make it convenientfor the user to put in or take out the clothes. When the access port islocated at the washing-state position (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2),the central axis of the access port can be oriented at a predeterminedangle relative to the horizontal direction on the premise that theclothes in the drum can be washed in a rolling way.

For example, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure,when the front-loading washing machine 1 is in the non-washing-stateposition, the included angle between the central axis of the access portand the horizontal plane may be 45 degrees to 90 degrees, such as 60degrees, 70 degrees or 80 degrees. When the front-loading washingmachine is in the washing-state position, the included angle between thecentral axis of the access port and the horizontal plane may be 0 degreeto 15 degrees, such as 3 degrees, 7 degrees or 12 degrees. Thus, thefront-loading washing machine is more convenient and flexible to use andeasy to manufacture, and it is convenient to put clothes in and takeclothes out, along with a good washing effect.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the driving mechanism 400 may include alongitudinal pushrod 410 disposed at a front side of the tub 200, atransverse shaft 420 disposed at a rear side of the tub 200 and coupledwith the tub 200, and a support frame 430 disposed to the cabinet 100and having a hole 431, in which the transverse shaft 420 rotates in thehole 431 of the support frame 430. The tub 200 can be rotatably disposedto the support frame 430 by the transverse shaft 420, to make the accessport move up and down in the opening 111; and the tub 200 can be drivento move by the longitudinal pushrod 410, to implement adjustment of theposition of the access port.

The longitudinal pushrod 410 can work under the control of thecontroller, and the power source the longitudinal pushrod 410 needs tomove is direct current. A movement rod of the longitudinal pushrod 410may push outwards at a uniform speed after powered on, in which case thelongitudinal pushrod 410 pushes the tub 200 upwards, and when the tub200 rises to the highest position, i.e. the access port moves upwards tothe non-washing-state position, the longitudinal pushrod 410 may triggera position limiting switch of the controller and the controller controlsthe longitudinal pushrod 410 to stop moving; if the positive andnegative poles of the direct current are exchanged, the movement rod ofthe longitudinal pushrod 410 will pull backwards, in which case thelongitudinal pushrod 410 pulls the tub 200 downwards, and when the tub200 is pulled to the lowest position i.e. the access port movesdownwards to the washing-state position, the longitudinal pushrod 410may trigger the position limiting switch and the longitudinal pushrod410 stops moving.

The controller may be a computer board assembly, and the computer boardassembly includes two relays: the first relay and the second relay,through which the longitudinal pushrod 410 is controlled. The firstrelay controls conduction and turn-off of the power source input to thelongitudinal pushrod 410, and the second relay controls the positive andnegative of the power source input to the longitudinal pushrod 410. InFIG. 4, for the convenience of description, the first relay is indicatedby K1, and the second relay is indicated by K2. When the first relay isclosed and the second relay is disconnected, the longitudinal pushrod410 pushes outwards i.e. pushes upwards; and when the first relay isclosed and the second relay is closed, the longitudinal pushrod 410pulls backwards. The power source line of the front-loading washingmachine 1 is plugged into a socket to be powered on; a power button ispressed; the controller controls the first relay to close for thepre-determined adjustable time T, and the longitudinal pushrod 410 is ina pushing-outwards state and keeps inclined upward at a certain degreebefore the machine starts operating.

As shown in FIG. 4, the start button is pressed and the door lock isclosed. The controller firstly controls the second relay to be closedfor a period of time t to complete direction change, in which theclosure time t may be set according to practical demands, for example 5s or less. The first relay is then closed and the two relays keep closedfor the pre-determined adjustable time T simultaneously. Thelongitudinal pushrod 410 is powered on and can pull backwards at auniform speed, such that the tub 200 can be pulled to a first angle bythe longitudinal pushrod 410, and when the access port move downwards tothe washing-state position, the machine starts the normal operationprocess. When the normal operation process ends, the drum stops rolling,the first relay is closed for the pre-determined adjustable time T, suchthat the longitudinal pushrod 410 pushes outwards i.e. pushes upwards,and when it moves upward to a certain degree, the access port movesupwards to the non-washing-state position, i.e. the door is unlocked andthe whole process ends after the longitudinal pushrod 410 stops moving.

Other configurations and operation of the front-loading washing machine1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are known for thoseskilled in the art, which will not be described in detail herein.

In the specification, it is to be understood that terms such as“center,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,”“vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner”, “outer” and “axial,”should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or asshown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are forconvenience of description and do not require that the device or elementbe constructed or operated in a particular orientation, shall not beconstrued to limit the present disclosure.

In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are used herein forpurposes of description and are not intended to indicate or implyrelative importance or significance or to imply the number of indicatedtechnical features. Thus, the feature defined with “first” and “second”may comprise one or more of this feature.

In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, theterms “mounted,” “connected,” “coupled,” “fixed” and the like are usedbroadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachableconnections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical orelectrical connections or be communicated with each other; may also bedirect connections or indirect connections via intervening structures;may also be inner communications or interaction of two elements, whichcan be understood by those skilled in the art according to specificsituations.

In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, astructure in which a first feature is “on” or “below” a second featuremay include an embodiment in which the first feature is in directcontact with the second feature, and may also include an embodiment inwhich the first feature and the second feature are not in direct contactwith each other, but are contacted via an intervening structures.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment,” “specificembodiments,” “an example,” or “a specific example,” means that aparticular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described inconnection with the embodiment or example is included in at least oneembodiment or example of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearancesof the phrases in various places throughout this specification are notnecessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the presentdisclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials,or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments or examples. Furthermore, different embodiments or examplesin thus specification can be jointed and combined by those skilled inthe art without mutual contradiction.

Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it wouldbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodimentscannot be construed to limit the present disclosure, and changes,alternatives, and modifications can be made in the embodiments withoutdeparting from spirit, principles and scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A front-loading washing machine, comprising: acabinet having a front panel, wherein the front panel is provided withan opening; a tub having an access port for loading and unloadinglaundry, wherein the tub is disposed in the cabinet, and configured insuch a manner that the access port is capable of being moved up and downin the opening, the tub having a rear edge opposite the access port, anupper side, and a lower side opposite the upper side; a rotatable drumdisposed in the tub; a door unit mounted to the tub, and covering theaccess port; a driving mechanism configured to drive the tub to rotate,wherein the driving mechanism is provided in the cabinet and coupledwith the tub, and the driving mechanism comprises: a longitudinalpushrod with a first end disposed at a front side of the tub; atransverse shaft disposed proximate to the rear edge and the lower sideof the tub and coupled with the tub; and a support frame comprising twolongitudinal brackets and a transverse bracket, wherein the twolongitudinal brackets are spaced apart from each other, the transversebracket has two ends connected with the two longitudinal bracketsrespectively, the support frame connected to the cabinet and having ahole, the transverse bracket receiving a second end of the drivemechanism; wherein the transverse shaft is configured to rotate in thehole of the support frame; and a controller communicating with thedriving mechanism, wherein when the front-loading washing machine startsa washing cycle, the controller controls the driving mechanism to drivethe access port to move downwards, and wherein when the front-loadingwashing machine stops the washing cycle, the controller controls thedriving mechanism to drive the access port to move upwards; wherein thecontroller controls the driving mechanism to drive the access port tomove upwards or downwards by controlling polarity of a direct currentinput to the driving mechanism; and wherein the controller comprises afirst relay and a second relay, the first relay being configured tocontrol an on-off state of the direct current input to the drivingmechanism, and the second relay being configured to control the polarityof the direct current input to the driving mechanism; wherein thesupport frame, the tub, and the driving mechanism are dampened relativeto the cabinet by a damping vibration absorption mount comprised of aplurality of dampers that connect the support frame to the cabinet. 2.The front-loading washing machine according to claim 1, wherein thedriving mechanism is configured to drive the access port to move up anddown between a non-washing-state position and a washing-state positionin the opening.
 3. The front-loading washing machine according to claim2, wherein when the access port is located at the non-washing-stateposition, the access port is driven to move close to an upper edge ofthe front panel; and when the access port is located at thewashing-state position, the access port is driven to move close to alower edge of the front panel.
 4. The front-loading washing machineaccording to claim 2, wherein when the access port is located at thenon-washing-state position, an included angle between a central axis ofthe access port and a horizontal plane is 45 degrees to 90 degrees; andwhen the access port is located at the washing-state position, theincluded angle between the central axis of the access port and thehorizontal plane is 0 degree to 15 degrees.
 5. The front-loading washingmachine according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism isconfigured to drive the access port to move upwards to approach theupper edge of the front panel and move downwards to approach the loweredge of the front panel.
 6. The front-loading washing machine accordingto claim 1, wherein when the first relay is closed and the second relayis open, the driving mechanism drives the access port to move upwards;and when the first relay is closed and the second relay is closed, thedriving mechanism drives the access port to move downwards.
 7. Thefront-loading washing machine according to claim 6, wherein a maximumone-way time for the driving mechanism to drive the access port to moveupwards or downwards is a pre-determined adjustable time.
 8. Thefront-loading washing machine according to claim 7, wherein after thefront-loading washing machine is powered and before the washing cyclestarts, the first relay is closed for the pre-determined adjustable timeand the second relay is open; when the front-loading washing machinestarts the washing cycle, the second relay is closed before the firstrelay, and the first relay and the second relay are closed for thepre-determined adjustable time simultaneously once the first relay isclosed; and when the washing cycle is finished, the first relay isclosed for the pre-determined adjustable time and the second relay isopen.